Report an Online Scam and Explore Your Recovery Options
If you lost money to an online scam, report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) right away, then contact your bank or card company about a possible dispute. Reporting will not guarantee you get your money back, but it creates an record, feeds law enforcement databases used to track and sometimes stop scammers, and is often required before a bank, insurer, or court will consider your claim. This guide walks through where to report, how to document what happened, what legal options may exist, and what a realistic outcome looks like.
Which Agency Handles Your Type of Scam
Different agencies collect different kinds of reports. Filing with the wrong one alone can slow you down, so most people benefit from filing with more than one.
- The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), run by the FBI, is the main federal intake point for cyber-enabled crime, including online purchase scams, romance scams, investment and cryptocurrency fraud, tech-support scams, and business email compromise. File at ic3.gov.
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC) — handles consumer fraud reports, deceptive business practices, telemarketing scams, and unwanted robocalls. File at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, which has replaced the older FTC Complaint Assistant.
- IdentityTheft.gov — a separate FTC-run site specifically for identity theft. It builds a personal recovery plan and pre-filled letters for credit bureaus and creditors.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — for problems involving banks, wire transfers, credit cards, debt collectors, or other financial products. File at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.
- Your state Attorney General’s consumer protection office — handles state-level scam and deceptive practice complaints and can sometimes pursue restitution on behalf of groups of victims.
- Local police — useful when you need an police report for your bank, insurer, or employer, even if local police cannot investigate an out-of-state or overseas scammer directly.
You can verify current filing instructions and contact details for any of these agencies through this site’s resources directory before you start.
What to Do in the First 24 Hours
- Stop contact and stop payment. Do not send more money, gift cards, or crypto, and do not engage further with the scammer.
- Secure your accounts. Change the passwords on any account the scammer may have accessed, and enable two-factor authentication.
- Call your bank or card issuer. Ask about disputing the charge or recalling a wire transfer. The sooner you call, the more options are usually available.
- Save everything. Do not delete messages, emails, listings, or payment confirmations, even ones that embarrass you.
- File your reports. Submit to IC3 and the FTC the same day if you can, then to your state AG and, if money moved through a bank, the CFPB.
How to Document Your Scam So Evidence Holds Up
Whether you pursue a bank dispute, a civil claim, or nothing more than a police report, thorough documentation matters more than anything else you do.
- Screenshots of every message, listing, profile, or website, including the URL and date visible in the image
- Full names, usernames, phone numbers, email addresses, and payment handles used by the scammer
- Bank or card statements showing the exact date, amount, and method of each payment
- Wire transfer confirmation numbers or cryptocurrency wallet addresses and transaction IDs
- Copies of any contracts, invoices, or “” documents the scammer sent you
- A simple written timeline: what happened, in order, with dates
- Confirmation numbers or reference IDs from every report you file with an agency
Keep a copy of everything in one folder, separate from anywhere the scammer might have access to it, before you file any reports.
Legal Remedies That May Be Available
What is realistically available depends on how you paid, how much you lost, and where the scammer is located. Common paths include:
- Bank or card dispute. Ask your bank or card issuer directly what dispute or fraud-claim process applies to your situation and what its deadline is. These rules come from your account agreement and the payment network, so they vary by bank and by payment method — wire transfers, debit cards, credit cards, and payment apps are often treated differently.
- Small claims court. If you know who the scammer is and can identify them for service of a lawsuit, small claims court can be an option for smaller dollar amounts without needing a lawyer. Court self-help centers, often reachable through your state courts’ website, can explain local filing limits and procedures.
- Civil lawsuit. For larger losses or cases involving a business, a private attorney can evaluate whether a fraud, breach of contract, or consumer protection claim is worth pursuing, and against whom.
- State enforcement action. State Attorneys General can investigate patterns of scam activity and, in some cases, seek restitution for groups of victims, though this is not something you can request for your individual case on demand.
- Federal criminal referral. Reports to IC3 and the FTC feed law enforcement investigations, which can occasionally lead to seized funds being returned to victims, but this outcome is neither guaranteed nor something you can request directly.
Jurisdiction and Deadline Limits You Need to Know
There is no single national deadline for scam-related legal claims. Time limits depend on which path you take:
- Bank and card disputes run on deadlines set by your account agreement and the payment network, not by a single federal law that applies to every payment type. Ask your bank directly, in writing, what your deadline is.
- Civil lawsuits for fraud are subject to your state’s statute of limitations, which varies from state to state and can depend on when you reasonably discovered the fraud, not just when it happened. A local court self-help center or attorney can confirm the deadline that applies to your state and your facts.
- Federal reports to IC3 or the FTC do not have a filing deadline, but reporting promptly gives investigators the best chance of connecting your case to a pattern involving the same scammer.
Because these limits genuinely differ by state and by payment method, verify your specific deadline with your state courts, your state Attorney General’s office, or a licensed local attorney rather than relying on a general timeframe.
Watch Out for Recovery Scams
Scammers increasingly target people who have already been scammed once, offering to “recover” lost funds for an upfront fee. The FBI has specifically warned that IC3 does not work with law firms or crypto-recovery services to recover funds and will never contact you directly to request money or personal information. If anyone claims to represent IC3, the FTC, or another agency and asks for payment to recover your funds, treat it as a second scam and report it the same way you reported the first one.
Realistic Expectations About Getting Your Money Back
Reported scam losses in the United States have grown every year recently, reaching $16.6 billion in 2024 alone, according to the FBI’s IC3 annual report. Filing a report is important and can support a bank dispute, an insurance claim, or a future investigation, but neither IC3 nor the FTC recovers money directly or promises a refund. Most successful recoveries happen through a bank or card dispute filed quickly, or through a civil claim against an identifiable, collectible defendant. Money sent by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency is especially difficult to recover once it moves, so prevention and speed matter more than almost anything else.
When to Contact a Licensed Attorney
Consider talking to a licensed attorney in your state if your loss is large, if a business or professional (rather than an anonymous scammer) is involved, if you are facing a filing deadline you do not understand, or if you need to take legal action against someone you can actually identify and serve with a lawsuit. Many state bar associations offer lawyer-referral services, and legal aid organizations may help if your income qualifies. This article is general education, not a substitute for that advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to report to both IC3 and the FTC?
They are separate systems, and filing with both creates a more complete record. IC3 is the primary channel for cyber-enabled crime, while the FTC’s ReportFraud.ftc.gov also tracks broader consumer fraud and feeds a shared law enforcement database.
Will the FBI or FTC contact me after I file a report?
Not usually. Both agencies review reports in bulk to spot patterns and support investigations, and neither can respond to every individual filer. You generally will not be contacted, and anyone who claims to be following up and asks for money or personal details should be treated as a scammer impersonating the agency.
Can I sue a scammer I only know by a username or fake profile?
It’s very difficult. Civil lawsuits generally require you to identify and formally serve the defendant. If the scammer’s real identity is unknown, a police report and IC3/FTC filings become more important, since law enforcement has investigative tools private individuals do not.
What if the scam occurred on a foreign website or from a seller?
Still report it to IC3 and the FTC, since both share information internationally with law enforcement partners. Cross-border cases are harder to resolve through a civil suit, so a bank or card dispute is often the most practical path to any recovery.
Educational Disclaimer
This article provides general legal information for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and cannot predict the outcome of any individual case. Laws, deadlines, and available remedies vary by state and by the specific facts involved. If you are facing a filing deadline, a safety concern, or a situation requiring individual legal advice, contact a licensed attorney in your state or an government agency promptly. You can review this product page’s full legal information disclaimer and source and fact-checking policy for more on how this content is researched and its limits, or see our editorial standards for how we handle corrections and updates.